Preamble: Evening. Hamburg manager Martin Jol said he's "got a good team in my head" for tonight's match at the impressive Nordbank Arena. Which is all very well if any of them are fit. Hamburg have been plagued by injury all season but Jol has worked wonders with his squad and managed to keep Hamburg in contention for the Bundesliga as well as securing passage to the quarter-finals of this competition. The bad news for City is that impressive striker Paolo Guerrero is good to go and will no doubt prove a handful for Richard Dunne and Micah Richards.

As for City, Stephen Ireland has recovered from a wee bit of ankle knack and Martin Petrov and his dodgy knee will take a seat on the substitutes' bench.

Apologies in advance if any flakes of rust fly off your computer screens and land in your eyes. You see it's a while since I did one of these and I'm a little unpracticed.

Pre-match build-up: The atmosphere is building nicely in Hamburg. It looks like it's a sell out and there'll be a rare old noise bouncing around the stadium. Looking at Man City's team it seems pretty positive. Robinho, Bellamy, Sturridge and Ireland will pose a real threat with their pace going forwards. I've seen Hamburg once this season against Bayern Munich and it was end-to-end stuff. Let's hope for more of the same.

Hello! There's a free film recommendation on offer for the first emailer.

1 min: The teams are out and we're underway. There's some booming songs emanating from the ground.

Goal!!!! Hamburg 0-1 Man City, Ireland 1 min. What a start for City. Ireland plays a 40-yard cross-field pass to Robinho who cuts inside and finds Ireland scampering into the box for the return pass. He places it first time into the right hand corner. Great goal.

3 min: That was some run from Ireland to make up the ground and support his team-mate. Hamburg make an immediate foray into the City box. Petric pounces in front of Dunne but heads straight at Given.

5 min: Congratulations Tony Conroy, who wins the free film recommendation with this email: "I'm following from Calgary, Canada and need a reason to wear my City shirt this weekend, not that anyone here knows what it is! They think there's only one team in Manchester..." Cheers Tony. Your film recommendation is JCVD starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The muscles from Brussells does some real acting. It's French language so should make good viewing for your friends in Calgary. Meanwhile, Hamburg are dominating possession. The fervour of their fans has not been diminished by the City goal.

7 min: Hamburg pile on the pressure. Gravgaard hits one from close range but City are saved by Given, who paws it away for a corner.

Goal!!!!!! Hamburg 1-1 Man City, Mathijsen 8 min: The corner is floated in to the front post where Mathijsen leaps in unmarked and heads passed the despairing fingertips of Given into the right hand corner. This has been a lightning fast start from both sides.

10 min: Ireland looks fired up as he flies into a tackle with Jansen, who wisely sherks it and allows the City player to whack it out for a throw-in.

12 min: Well, my rusty fingers have been well and truly rebaptised by this firecracker of a Uefa Cup tie. It finally settles down. City try to slow play down in midfield but they are closed down quickly by Hamburg. Meanwhile in the ether: "Wow, I'm in Edmonton, Alberta and am a City fan. Tell Tony if he wants to make the three hour drive, we could start the MCFC Supporters Club of Alberta. First round is on him," suggests Jordan Devine. Who needs Facebook or Twitter when you've got Thursday night MBM bringing City fans together?

15 min: A random fact: Hamburg's nickname is the Red Shorts. Anyway, Jarolim is becoming an ever more present force in midfield. He seems to be finding space away from Ireland and Sturridge and is trying to work the ball out wide whenever he can.

18 min: Hamburg win a corner. Matijsen stalks around menacingly in the box ... but Hamburg play it short to Trochowski. He skips past wee Wright-Phillips but scuffs his shot lamely towards Given who smothers it comfortably.

20 min: The pace of this match is relentless. Pitroipa sneaks in at the far-right post and leaps to retrieve a deep cross. He does brilliantly to angle his header over given from an impossible angle and hits the post with it. City were caught napping.

22 min: Another chance. Jansen overlaps on the left and cuts inside Richards. He snaps a volley at Given who parries for a corner. The kick is swung into the City box where a crowd of players stand around as if they're waiting for a bus and let the ball skip off the surface of the six-yard box to be cleared from a wide position. Both attackers and defenders were leaden-footed then. My fingers...

26 min: Wright-Phillips finds space in the middle of the pitch. He plays a beautifully weighted 30-yard pass to Bellamy on the left. He beats his marker for pace and cuts inside, but instead of squaring it to Ireland in the box, he shoots straight at Rost, who gathers the ball at the second attempt.

29 min: Wright-Phillips plays another great ball into the inside-right channel for Bellamy, but on this occasion the Welshman can't control the ball and Hamburg regain possession. Petric breaks and finds Olic on the edge of the box. He has a pot-shot but Given gathers it comfortably.

32 min: "Tony Conroy might be surprised with North American people's knowledge about football... I was wearing a St Pauli kit from the 1975 season out in Oakland, California last week, and had the cashier at thesupermarket tell me how much they loved the team," says Pranjal Tiwari. Really? St Pauli eh? MBMer-stumped-by-team-he's-never-heard-of shocker. Are they any good? Meanwhile in Hamburg, City win a corner and are starting to exert more influence on the game. Dunne leaps to head at goal but the ball is cleared a couple of yards from the goalline.

36 min: City have looked slick going forward. Sturridge, Robinho, Wright-Phillips and Bellamy have linked up really well. They are missing De Jong in midfield though in my opinion. A player who would happily sit would help to quell the threat of Jarolim.

38 min: "Keeping things international," says international Joe Meredith, "I'm following your report from Spain. A combination of putting-off-work, a soft spot for City, and the fact that EVERYTHING IS FLIPPING CLOSED FOR JESUS WEEK [Easter surely - MBM ed] have driven me indoors on this pleasant evening. What a start though, eh?" It's been a great match so far Joe to be sure. Bellamy turns Jansen brilliantly on the right wing, but is dragged back and doesn't win a free-kick.

40 min: There's a bit of playground stuff now. First Trochowski, who looks like an egg on legs, elbows Dunne and gets booked for his trouble. Then Bellamy pushes Jarolim in the mush, but gets away with it. Finally Hamburg get hold of the ball and knock it around in pretty patterns around the City penalty box and eventually win a corner.

42 min: Trochowski whips it in but Dunne clears it out towards Bellamy. He picks it up and finds Ireland but Pitroipa makes an excellent tackle to prevent him racing clear.

44 min:, Given makes an other excellent save. Trochowski beats Dunne on the left. He then scampers into the City box where Zabaletta attempts to cut him in two but misses his tackle poorly. He then squares to Olic, but his strike bounces off Given's knees to safety.

Half-time: As has been the pattern of this match, City break and win a corner themselves. It comes to nothing and the referee brings to a close one of the most pulsating Uefa Cup first legs I've ever seen. The Champions League's ugly little cousin looks like an adventurous older brother tonight. Your emails to follow...

The MBM continues its service as a Canadian social-networking tool:"Tell Tony that if he's looking to form a supporters club for EPL that overspend on useless players in Calgary, I'm in," says Neil De Ridder working towards a punchline. "I'm a West Ham supporter..." Boom! There she goes.

Here's Gary Naylor: "St Pauli? Weren't they the counter-cultural alternative to Cuddly KK's Hamburg in the 70s and 80s? Named after the district in the city where gentlemen would seek relaxation, they had a popular reputation akin to the great Dutch national teams of 1974 and 1978 - but without the skill. In 1987, pitching up at Sportspages in Charing Cross road with a rheostatted pack of fanzines you and your mates had produced for followers of a Scottish Highland League team whilst wearing St Pauli shirts, was the footballing equivalent of being the first to wear beads on the Haight-Ashbury in the 60s." Yup, that's what I thought Gary, that's what I thought.

The teams are back out: It's raucous at the Nordbank Arena. The fans sing along happily to a trad-rock number. Garrido has replaced Bridge at left-back for City. Bridge was struggling for fitness so no surprise there.

46 min: Hamburg go on the offensive straight from the off. Petric takes a reverse-pass in the box and lets rip with his right foot, but he slices it harmlessly over Given's bar into the hordes behind the goal.

47 min: Sturridge is limping around after clashing accidentally with Mathijsen. He twisted his ankle. He gets to his feets and tries to run it off though. What a brave soldier he is. Hamburg win a free-kick on the right 40 yards from goal ...

48 min: The ball is angled in venomously towards Gravgaard, but he uses Dunne as a stepladder and City win a free-kick.

50 min: Olic races away down the left wing and Richards looks second favourite as he slides in to make the tackle in the box ... but his right-footed tackle is timed to perfection. Olic tries to claim it was a penalty but that was an example of Bobby Mooresque defending at its best. The resulting corner swings in to Petric, but again Dunne is used as a ladder and wins a free-kick.

53 min: The City fans can be heard singing Blue Moon for the first time above the Hamburg supporters' racket. They are duly whistled down and an almighty chant gets underway again among the German fans. It sounds like one hell of an atmosphere there. Aogo is penalised for pushing Wright-Phillips. Ireland looks lively as he tries to slip in Sturridge with a short pass, but Gravgaard is alert to the danger.

55 min: City pass and probe patiently in midfield which will please Mark Hughes. Wright-Phillips then comes to life and almost sends Ireland clear with a clever little pass, but again the German defence is alive to it. Casper Treichgraber kindly sends this link to enlighten me as to St Pauli's existence. The Hamburg fans go mad as Onuoha grabs Olic's shirt but isn't penalised.

58 min: Jansen tests Onuoha with a mazy run down the left, but the City player does very well to snuff out the danger. The resulting corner causes mayhem in the City box and after a scrap for the ball in the six-yard box Given does very well to parry a shot to safety. I couldn't see whose foot made contact such was the melee. Wright-Phillips and Dunne both clear after further Hamburg attacks as the Germans look to turn the screw.

62 min: Penalty! Richards handles clearly in the area. Trochowski to take it ...

Goal!!!! Hamburg 2-1 Man City, Trochowski, 63 min: Trochowski slots it perfectly into Given's left-hand corner and Hamburg take the lead. My prediction is on by the way.

64 min: Richards couldn't do anything to stop the ball hitting his hands but he had them raised so the referee had no choice but to award the penalty in my opinion. Hamburg pile forward again and Jansen drives wide from 18 yards. City would do well to settle down. Benjani is on for Sturridge. That's not a defensive substitution.

67 min: Petric hacks Wright-Phillips down and is booked for his trouble. Robinho then gets involved in some handbags with Jarolim. Moments later, Olic burst free on the left and plays a dangerous ball into the City six-yard box which Garrido does very well to hack clear instead of into his own net.

69 min: Hamburg are dominating now. Jarolim picks the ball up and marches towards the City penalty area uninhibited, he feints to his left and drives a shot at goal which Given saves well.

70 min: Uh oh! the Peruvian Paolo Guerrero is on for Olic. He scored twice in the last round against Galatasaray and will give the City defence a torid time.

71 min: Bellamy skips past the tackle of Benjamin and races towards the touchline. He then looks clueless and only finds Robinho with a deflection. The Brazilian takes a heavy touch and finally bellyflops onto the turf looking for a penalty. The referee waves away the appeal and tells Robinho to get up.

74 min: Richards charges up the right wing and wins a corner. Stephen Ireland floats it in and Benjani is penalised for leaning onto his marker. Meanwhile in the life of Gary Naylor: "Whilst my girlfriend, kids and mother are in Vegas, cruising the Strip, mooching about in casinos, eating fantastic food before deciding which pool to swim in come the afternoon and which show to watch come the evening, I'm in the company of Charles Colville and Ian Harvey frantically filling because the lights have gone out in Cape Town denying me even the pleasure of witnessing another Australian defeat on Sky Sports 3. To top it all off, I'll have to turn over soon to join Peter bloody Alliss and Gary f***** Lineker for the smugfest that is The Masters, which isn't even being MBMed, so I don't have the compensation of reading Mac Millings' barbs. I'm getting this wrong aren't I?" No Gary, you're not getting this wrong, you just need to lay off the caffeine. Tell you what here's our latest Masters story. Happy reading...

Goal!!!! Hamburg 3-1 Man City, Guererro, 77 min: Benjani makes a pathetic attempt to cross the ball from City's left and trips over his feet. The ball trickles to Jarolim who launches the ball up to Trochowski. He slips the ball past Richards and plays a beautifully weighted ball to Guerrero who can't miss from two yards.

79 min: Onuoha rampages forwards in an attempt to single handedly take the game to Hamburg, but he has no support and after trying to barge his way through the midfield he finally loses his possession and Hamburg come away with the ball.

82 min: Wright-Phillips is replaced by Gelson Fernandes. Hamburg are passing the ball around with ease now. Every successful pass receives an ole from the home supporters. Dunne does very well to prevent Pitroipa from getting in at the near post. Pitroipa is injured in the process and dragged off to the side of the pitch like a casualty of war.

84 min: Hamburg have given City a real test with their incisive attacks tonight. They have a great turn of pace when they need it and from wide positions they've delivered some really telling crosses. Jarolim takes a tumble in the box. I think Garrido must have sneezed and blown him over because I can't see any other reason why he would have gone down.

87 min: Bellamy appeals for a corner but the referee gives a free-kick for a tug on the shirt of Gravgaard. Hamburg then break again and Dunne is forced to clear for a corner.

88 min: Trochowski plays it short to Jarolim, who cuts inside before playing a clever reverse pass to Jarolim. He crosses to the back-post but Dunne clears again. Hamburg win another corner ...

89 min: Trochowski swings it towards Guerrero, who can't make contact and is beaten to the ball by Given. City desperately need another away goal. Richards gamely takes the ball up the right wing but is barracked off the ball by three Hamburg players.

90+1 min: Robinho gives the ball away in City's half. Aogo steals possession and hits a thunderous left-footed drive which Given does well to tip around his post. Hamburg take the corner short and look content to play out the remaining minute.

Full-time: The referee peeps three times on his whistle and brings a close to the match. Hamburg really turned the screw in the second-half and City have an uphill struggle to stay in the competition at Eastlands. That away goal is all important though and may, just may, give them the glimmer of hope they will need. Thanks for all your emails.